Hyperion DeFi Strengthens Leadership Team With Key Appointments to Accelerate DeFi Strategy
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD) announced significant leadership changes as part of its strategic initiative to strengthen governance and accelerate its decentralized finance strategy. CEO Michael Rowe has resigned, with CIO Hyunsu Jung stepping in as Interim CEO. The company is set to announce a new CFO with extensive capital markets experience later this month.
The company has also appointed Happy Walters, Founder and CEO of Blue Horizon Capital, to its Board of Directors. Walters brings over 25 years of experience in quantum computing, blockchain, telehealth, and other sectors. Additionally, Max Fiege will continue as strategic advisor, focusing on validator operations and institutional liquid staking initiatives.
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD) ha annunciato importanti cambi ai vertici nell'ambito della strategia per rafforzare la governance e accelerare la propria roadmap di finanza decentralizzata. Il CEO Michael Rowe si è dimesso e il CIO Hyunsu Jung assumerà il ruolo di CEO ad interim. L'azienda comunicherà entro la fine del mese il nome di un nuovo CFO con solida esperienza nei mercati dei capitali.
È stato inoltre nominato nel Consiglio di Amministrazione Happy Walters, fondatore e CEO di Blue Horizon Capital, che porta oltre 25 anni di esperienza in quantum computing, blockchain, telemedicina e altri settori. Infine, Max Fiege continuerà a collaborare come consulente strategico, concentrandosi sulle operazioni dei validator e sulle iniziative istituzionali di liquid staking.
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD) anunció cambios significativos en su liderazgo como parte de una iniciativa estratégica para reforzar la gobernanza y acelerar su estrategia de finanzas descentralizadas. El CEO Michael Rowe ha dimitido y el CIO Hyunsu Jung asumirá como CEO interino. La compañía dará a conocer más adelante este mes un nuevo CFO con amplia experiencia en los mercados de capitales.
También se ha incorporado al Consejo de Administración Happy Walters, fundador y CEO de Blue Horizon Capital, quien aporta más de 25 años de experiencia en computación cuántica, blockchain, telemedicina y otros sectores. Además, Max Fiege seguirá como asesor estratégico, centrado en las operaciones de validadores y las iniciativas institucionales de liquid staking.
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD)는 거버넌스 강화를 추진하고 디파이 전략을 가속화하기 위한 전략적 조치의 일환으로 주요 리더십 변화를 발표했습니다. CEO Michael Rowe가 사임했으며 CIO Hyunsu Jung이 임시 CEO로 취임합니다. 회사는 이달 말 자본시장 경험이 풍부한 새로운 CFO를 발표할 예정입니다.
또한 Blue Horizon Capital의 창립자 겸 CEO인 Happy Walters를 이사회에 선임했습니다. Walters는 양자 컴퓨팅, 블록체인, 원격의료 등 분야에서 25년 이상의 경력을 보유하고 있습니다. 아울러 Max Fiege는 검증자 운영 및 기관 대상 리퀴드 스테이킹 이니셔티브에 중점을 두고 전략 고문으로 계속 활동합니다.
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD) a annoncé des changements importants dans sa direction dans le cadre d'une initiative stratégique visant à renforcer la gouvernance et à accélérer sa stratégie de finance décentralisée. Le CEO Michael Rowe a démissionné et le CIO Hyunsu Jung assumera la fonction de CEO par intérim. La société annoncera plus tard ce mois-ci un nouveau CFO doté d'une solide expérience des marchés de capitaux.
Par ailleurs, Happy Walters, fondateur et CEO de Blue Horizon Capital, a été nommé au conseil d'administration. Walters apporte plus de 25 ans d'expérience en informatique quantique, blockchain, télésanté et autres secteurs. Enfin, Max Fiege continuera d'intervenir comme conseiller stratégique, en se concentrant sur les opérations de validateurs et les initiatives institutionnelles de liquid staking.
Hyperion DeFi (NASDAQ: HYPD) hat im Rahmen einer strategischen Initiative zur Stärkung der Governance und zur Beschleunigung seiner DeFi-Strategie bedeutende Führungsänderungen bekanntgegeben. CEO Michael Rowe ist zurückgetreten, und CIO Hyunsu Jung übernimmt interimistisch das Amt des CEO. Das Unternehmen wird später in diesem Monat einen neuen CFO mit umfassender Kapitalmarkterfahrung präsentieren.
Außerdem wurde Happy Walters, Gründer und CEO von Blue Horizon Capital, in den Vorstand berufen. Walters bringt über 25 Jahre Erfahrung in den Bereichen Quantencomputing, Blockchain, Telemedizin und weiteren Sektoren mit. Zusätzlich wird Max Fiege weiterhin als strategischer Berater tätig sein und sich auf Validator-Operationen sowie institutionelle Liquid-Staking-Initiativen konzentrieren.
- Appointment of experienced blockchain executive Happy Walters to Board of Directors
- Incoming CFO brings significant capital markets and asset-backed finance experience
- Continued strategic advisory from Max Fiege strengthens blockchain operations
- Seamless leadership transition with CIO stepping in as Interim CEO
- Unexpected resignation of CEO Michael Rowe indicates potential leadership instability
- Interim nature of CEO position creates uncertainty in executive leadership
- Delay in formal CFO announcement suggests incomplete transition planning
Insights
CEO resignation and leadership restructuring signals strategy shift for Hyperion DeFi amid critical growth phase.
The leadership overhaul at Hyperion DeFi represents a significant strategic pivot at a critical juncture for the company. CEO Michael Rowe's resignation and the appointment of CIO Hyunsu Jung as interim CEO marks a substantial shift in executive direction. This transition appears to be part of a coordinated leadership enhancement rather than an isolated departure, evidenced by the parallel announcements of a new CFO and board member.
The incoming CFO's background in capital markets and asset-backed finance suggests Hyperion is positioning to develop financial products bridging traditional public markets with decentralized finance - a sophisticated strategy that could differentiate them in the competitive DeFi landscape. This signals an evolution beyond pure DeFi toward hybrid financial instruments with mainstream appeal.
Happy Walters' board appointment brings valuable blockchain credibility through his involvement with established projects like Hedera Hashgraph and Axelar Networks. His experience across multiple sectors indicates Hyperion is seeking cross-industry expertise to drive innovation at the intersection of traditional and decentralized finance.
The continued involvement of Max Fiege focusing on validator operations and institutional liquid staking suggests Hyperion is maintaining commitment to technical infrastructure while expanding its financial products vision. This coordinated leadership restructuring appears designed to accelerate Hyperion's integration with HyperEVM while developing more sophisticated DeFi offerings.
Hyunsu Jung Named Interim CEO; CFO Appointment Confirmed, Underscoring Focus on Decentralized Finance
Board Expansion and Continued Strategic Advisory Designed to Drive Growth and Execution
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., Sept. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyperion DeFi, Inc. (NASDAQ: HYPD) (“Hyperion DeFi” or the “Company”), today announced a series of strategic leadership updates designed to strengthen governance and accelerate its decentralized finance (“DeFi”) strategy.
Mr. Michael Rowe has notified the Company of his intent to resign from his position as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Pending the effectiveness of Mr. Rowe’s resignation, Hyunsu Jung, who is currently the Company’s Chief Investment Officer and a member of the Board, will serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Jung will be supported by the new Chief Financial Officer, the addition of seasoned blockchain executive Happy Walters to the Company’s Board of Directors, and the continued involvement of the Company’s strategic advisor, Max Fiege. Collectively, these developments fortify the Company’s leadership depth at a pivotal stage of growth and innovation.
Hyperion DeFi expects to formally announce its new Chief Financial Officer later this month. The incoming CFO brings significant experience in capital markets and asset-backed finance and will be tasked with leading the development of innovative financial products designed to bridge public markets to decentralized finance. This addition will further reinforce the Company’s financial leadership and positioning for continued operational execution.
The Company also appointed Happy Walters to its Board of Directors. Mr. Walters brings over 25 years of experience across multiple industries, including quantum computing, blockchain, telehealth, sports and entertainment. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Horizon Capital and has built a career on his conviction that blockchain and other frontier technology will be central to next-generation infrastructure. As an early investor and strategic supporter of platforms such as Hedera Hashgraph and Axelar Networks, Mr. Walters has consistently demonstrated a long-term commitment to scaling decentralized systems.
“We are pleased to welcome Happy to our Board of Directors at this important stage in our growth,” said Hyunsu Jung, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Hyperion DeFi. “We expect that his extensive network, strategic perspective, and track record of successful value creation across leading publicly traded companies will be of material benefit to our shareholders as we continue to pioneer strategies in the DeFi space.”
Mr. Walters added, “I was an early believer that blockchain will underpin the infrastructure of the future, and Hyperliquid embodies that promise. I’ve witnessed its ability firsthand to reshape how global markets can access financial services with deep liquidity, security, and scale. I am excited to take an active role with Hyperion DeFi at this major inflection point and support the implementation of its unique strategies, especially the deployment of new markets built on Hyperliquid”.
In addition, Max Fiege will continue as strategic advisor to the Company, supporting leadership’s efforts to further integrate Hyperion DeFi into the HyperEVM. Mr. Fiege has played an active role in establishing the Company’s validator operations and institutional liquid staking initiatives, with a focus on accessing credit on-chain and compounding unique yield-generation opportunities.
About the Hyperliquid Platform and the HYPE Token
Hyperliquid is a layer one blockchain (L1) optimized from the ground up for high frequency, transparent trading. The blockchain includes fully on-chain perpetual futures and spot order books, with every order, cancel, trade, and liquidation occurring within 70 millisecond block times. It also hosts the HyperEVM, a general-purpose smart contract platform that, like Ethereum, supports permissionless decentralized financial applications.
HYPE is the native token of Hyperliquid. Staked HYPE in particular provides utility for users via reduced trading fees and increased referral bonuses. Circulating HYPE is autonomously purchased and sequestered by the blockchain itself with the trading fees generated on the network’s order books. As of September 2025, more than 30 million HYPE has been sequestered by this mechanism, and the token has become the 16th-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
About Hyperion DeFi, Inc.
Hyperion DeFi, Inc. is the first U.S. publicly listed company building a long-term strategic treasury of Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE. The Company is focused on providing its shareholders with simplified access to the Hyperliquid ecosystem, one of the fastest growing, highest revenue-generating blockchains in the world. Shareholders benefit from a gradually compounding exposure to HYPE, both from its native staking yield and additional revenues generated from its unique on-chain utility.
Hyperion DeFi is also developing its proprietary Optejet User Filled Device (UFD) that is designed to work with a variety of topical ophthalmic liquids, including artificial tears and lens rewetting products. The Optejet is especially useful in chronic front-of-the-eye diseases due to its ease of use, enhanced safety and tolerability, and potential for superior compliance versus standard eye drops. Together, these benefits may result in higher treatment compliance and better outcomes for patients and providers.
For more information, please visit Hyperiondefi.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements, our future activities or other future events or conditions, including the estimated market opportunities for our platform technology, the viability of, and risks associated with, our cryptocurrency treasury strategy, and the growth and revenue potential of the Hyperliquid ecosystem and the growth prospects of the Company. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and in some cases are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to numerous factors discussed from time to time in documents which we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in particular, the risks of our cryptocurrency strategy as detailed in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 27, 2025.
Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and except as may be required under applicable securities laws, Hyperion DeFi does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Hyperion DeFi, Inc. Investor Contact:
Jason Assad
Hyperion DeFi, Inc.
IR@hyperiondefi.com
(678) 570-6791
